The Penn's Grove record., 1887-11-26

1nterV8lb Ill Ln6 pam. fuIple u
blue and crimson, they flooded the earth
with awful radiance, then suddenly In
blazing hieroglyphics darted across the
darkened sky as though some Titanic
finger wrote some word OF doom upon
the blackened scroll. and the wild
fierce thunder caught the meaning and
echoed the mystic language from side
to side of the resounding valley.
Then the clouds broke, and the rain
fell In tremendous torrents, washing
past the doorway In a flood. and blind
ing the girl when she tried to pierce
the darkness for a sign Of her fathers
approach.
Again and again she looked in vain,
and, coming back, built up the fire and
drew his chair nearer the kindly blaze.
Yet he came not.
As the hours passed Maggie became
strangely anxious.
The fury Of the storm was over, but
the rain continued to fall heavily.
She could hear the roar of the brawl.
ing stream that fed the lake, and the
moan OF the wind across the plain; but
no sound Of footstep nor human voice
cheered her anxious ear.
Her father was not wont to linger.
She glanced at the clock uneasily,
and q great terror seized her and u
great rem0rse.
Why, OH why, had she let him go
unreconciled7 She might never see
him more.
Once again she opened the door and
listened intently.
It was S5iSht now. and the darkness
I Of 1t had s6ccceded that OF the storm.
The rain still fell, and she could hear
even yet no sound but the rush of the
rIvulets 1t had made, and ever, ever
the roar Of the stream her father had to
cross, the noise Of it beat upon her
brain with a sense of absolute physical
pain.
As she stood looking out into the
night. the light from the brightly
illumined kitchen shining behind her,
suddenly she started back, for there
was q strange, weird sound in the air
abovs her, and a rush Of some winged
creature.
Another second and a poor belated
dove Of snowy plumage flew against
her breast and rested there for a
moment, then settled on the old mans
| chair.
Moss gave a long, despairing howl,
and, coming TO the doorway, whined
piteously as he looked out into the dark
ness, then up in MaggIe's face.
Then the girl threw herself into a
chair, and her head on the table and
sobbec as though her heart would
break.
The day had been q weary one for
IynIpI, IT<urs, au1n. III 1--x o NfN-
"ieis ~l0nelinesR. yet he could not bring
1s3sTA to brtsS t-The words of her
father had hurt him to the quick, and
it did not seem possible to enter the
farmers house in his absence, or even
approach the girl he loved, in face of
that cruel taunt.
Perhaps he had no right to so pure a
love; perhaps 1t had been wrong Of him
to-, Sas to one who bore an hon.
". eca EEhe worst Of it. In the
h. >GWY of his reverent tender
III boro gle, he hardly felt worthy
ose w., %even without the blot on
It's 'a'soIyE.me yet his arms ached
to- ana CtpEce again to his heart and
til, seorSle loved her.
lie had MS cHkaw father too,
and the tears came to his brave young
eyes at the memory Of the man who
had been noble and true hearted even
In his lawlessness; and pity for that
ruined life mingled with the PAIN
caused by the wreck Of his own happi-
ness and hope.
1t all made him restless, anc the con-
hnement of the narrow house where he
dwelt grew ~unbearable.
Ralph loved Nature in every mood,
but perhaps best In her more turbulent
ones; they suited the impatient longing
in his mind Tor q fuler life and more
intensity OF action. lie wearied at all
times OF the s~lagnstlon and monotony
round him, wearied Of minds that could
rive him no stimulus. and found well
nigh int0lerable q round of daily life
that seemed to have no result save the
bare fulfilling of the fact Of living; and
now that he was severed from the one
creature that had sympatbized with his
wants and understood his nature, he
was more and more restless and dis
satisfied.
Spite Of the coming storm, he had
wandered out on to the moor, had seen
the great clouds gather and break, and
watched the startled creatures of the
field huddle together Tor shelter, or
seek hastilytheir coverts for safety.
He had himself taken refuge from the
pouring rain under an oyerhanging
hedge Of rock, from whence he could
watch the rushing stream, the play of
the dazzling FIRE amid the sombre
clouds and the sudden lighting up by
the ftful vivid flashes of the great
desolate moor.
Tho lad was not cultured enough to
analyze his own feelings nor, indeed,
did he care about them, and certainly
would have found it impossible to paint
In words the scene before him. Yet
not less yals he awed by its sublimity.
Its teriAeq magnifcence excited him,
and its beauty and wild grandeur made
him forget bis own small troubles. I'm
consciously There fell on him a great
deep calm.f
Nature Was so great, and the some.
thing behl1N nature SO infinitely grand,
that his Soul grew subdued.
God was 81 the thunder to this peas
ant lad; yethe felt only worship-Dot a
touch Of fe&f.
His love Aor Maggie was too much a
part of myself to be forgotten; but for
that bel he was patient, and his re-
sentnN + against her father, and
againe5,"'.t verdict of the country side,
subliml I'D itself into a heroic endur-
resignation.
Al en through his thoughts he
heard Vdrroar Of the stream, the cry OF
the ntecsbird in the distance, and the
thunfer, hxowing fainter when the
storm at | 18th began to pass.
Once on Wice, as the lightning flashed
and Lit fo{ o second the whole horizon,
be faucied Be saw a dark object on the
noor, as cough some figure advanced
Nm; but the darkness fell
again SO d1ickly his mind had barely
time to register the impression his eye
.convsyed.E
Suddenly a cry of dismayi A shrill
yet feebles khriek for help; then another,
as OF despair, rise above the roar of the
forranf. IA Dalnh trrnNo e. h,o faak